Micro-Soul! A Grigori Soul for Total Domination?
by Artistic-Resonance
Summary: Maka and only a few others in the world have a Grigori Soul, which harness great power. It's dangerous to tell others what kind of soul you have; especially for her. When a mysterious attacker finds out how to bring a Grigori soul (And a few others) into the digital world with him, will Soul be able to save his meister and friends before the clock runs out and they're lost forever?
1. Chapter 1

I sat in the library of Shibusen, my fingers fiddling with the corners of old and worn pages in the book I held. My friend, Death the Kid, referred me to this book to explain why he and Black*Star hated Excalibur so much. Just reading this annoyed me. I slammed the book shut and sighed. "_The Legend of Excalibur?_ I've read better."

I set the book atop a stack I had already made. My gaze was directed to the long and narrow windows of the book sanctuary. The moon was smiling its creepy smile as it hung in the sky. That moon always creeped me out.

It was always so lonely in the library, especially when I was the only one there at midnight. It was also very ominous at night. The computers would glow eerily, even though no one was using them, and you always felt as though you weren't alone.

The sound of the doors swinging open made me jump and almost fall off the mountain of books I was sitting on. I regained my composure to see my partner at the door, leaning against it lazily and giving me a big-toothed grin. I knit my eyebrows at him. "You scared me Soul! Jeez!"

He chuckled, and his albino hair shook with the slight head movements he made. My slight anger melted away, and I started to laugh too. I probably looked pretty ridiculous, just sitting on top of a pile of books with my coat draping over the back acting like a shield. Soul strode over and offered his hand to me. I took a firm hold and nodded my thanks as he hoisted me off the huge mound of books.

"Why did you come here Soul?" I asked. "You don't come to school and secretly study while I sleep do you?"

"_Pshhhh_." Soul said. "I wanted to know why you didn't come home, and something told me you would be here. Cool guys don't just forget about their partner ya' know."

My lips upturned in a smile. "I'm quite aware. Thanks for checking up on me Soul."  
I grabbed at a few books and I shoved them into my backpack, then turned back to him.  
"Ready to go princess?" He asked while leaning lazily against the front desk.

"Yeah King Soul, let's go." I spat in a slightly annoyed tone while lightly punching his arm.

He chuckled and rustled the top of my head with his large hand, pulling some of my hair out of my ponytails. "Whew! I'm glad I didn't get a Maka Cho-"

My hand flung out holding one of my books, and I planted it in his skull binding first. His eyes whirled around slightly as he stumbled around, trying to regain himself from the impact.

My hand flew to my mouth as I giggled madly. He looked so stupid! Boy, was I glad I got the idea for Maka-Chops!

Soul snapped out of it and gave me a scary yet playful smile. "Oh that's it. You're in for it now Maka!"

I squealed and threw my backpack over my shoulder, making a mad dash for the door. I could hear his footsteps behind mine, so I picked up the pace. My feet were like lightning, and my shoes probably left some marks on the sidewalk. I couldn't even tell I was running anymore, I just kept going.

"Get back here Maka! I'll get you I swear! No one laughs at me and gets away with it!" I smiled, and turned down an alleyway, hoping to turn again and run back to the school, but I ran into something face-first and fell onto the ground.

I didn't run into something; I ran into someone.

They grabbed me by one of my ponytails and yanked me upwards, causing a small screech of pain to slip from me before they threw me against the brick wall of the alleyway. They stuck their arms out by each side of my head on the wall. I felt trapped and I didn't know what to do.

"I-I'm sorry I ran into you mister. Please let me go." My throat felt as dry as the Nevada Desert, and made it hard to utter words. I could feel my knees shaking from the nervousness that writhed through my body, and I was terrified that if I slumped down, they might do something to me; thinking that I was trying to escape. Fear completely enveloped me.

_Why am I so afraid? I've faced an opponent before... Why is this one so different? I can feel it, there's something about them..._

I could feel tears prick the corners of my eyes as my train of thought screeched to a halt. I slapped my hand over my mouth, trying to be as quiet as possible so they wouldn't make any sudden movements. I wanted to beg for them to let me go. Where was Soul? Where was somebody? Somebody other than THEM? This felt completely wrong. They didn't even do anything to me yet and I felt as though I had already been hurt.

I almost threw up my last meal when I smelled their pungent breath as they leaned in closer to me. They smelled of garlic and trash. Was this a hobo or something?

I let my tears flow freely onto my hand as they closed in on me. Their hand slid onto my waist, and his fingers knotted in my coat roughly. "I've been looking for you girl. Don't struggle,"

Their fingers crushed into my side and tears poured down the sides of my cheeks while I bit down on my wet glove as hard as I could.

_Why can't I move? Is it the fear that's weighing me down?_

"or you'll die."

The fingers that crushed into me began to burn, and I couldn't take the pain. My flesh felt as though I was thrown onto a bed of red and steamy coals, feeling the hot blood coarse through my veins. My hand flew to my waist to slap theirs away, and a scream flew past my lips. Before I could blink, their hand was slapped against my mouth and my head being crushed into the wall.

"Maka?!"

My eyes flew to the entrance of the alleyway at the sound of a familiar voice. Down the alley was Soul, and I knew they saw me.

"Maka!" He yelled. "Let her go you bastard! What the hell do you think you're doing?!"  
Relief flooded over me like I was just dropped in a cold pool on a hot summer day. Just seeing the outline of my handsome partner made me feel safe. Soul ran towards us and turned his arm into a red and black zig-zagged blade, slashing into the man's shoulder that held me to the wall. I collapsed to the ground when they let go, and Soul was at my side like a loyal puppy dog. He tried to support me by kneeling beside me and holding my shoulders tenderly. "Maka are you alright? He didn't hurt you did he?"

Soul looked up at the staggering man. "I'll kill you for this, you hear me?! You don't touch her!" He spat, with a growl rising in his throat. My hand went to his shoulder. "Transform."

"But, Maka-"

"Transform!"

He didn't defy me, but he sighed before changing into his scythe form. His silvery-metal hilt landed in my palms perfectly when I stood up, and I spun him around a few times before catching him with a firm grip while pointing at the attacker. I felt invigorated with power as I held my weapon, as though fresh blood flowed through my veins and made me an entirely new person. I felt no weakness with my scythe.

"Who are you, and what do you want with me?" I glared.

"Just your soul, dearie. That's all I want." He smirked, looking at my chest area. I could tell that he could see souls, and was looking directly at my own. Soul could evidently tell too.

"Quit spewing out that crap and give us a real answer!" Soul yelled, his voice a whole new level of angry I had never heard before. "And quit looking at my partner like that!"  
We waited for a few moments before Soul, who had become impatient with the bumbling idiot who stood before us, swept out of his scythe form and out of my hands in front of me.  
"Soul what the heck!" I hissed.

He didn't acknowledge what I said; he just turned his arm into a blade that was so deadly it might as well have been dripping poison.  
"Your time is up punk."

Soul's hair flew back when he darted forward, slashing the blade through the evil being. This is where Soul and I would grin from our accomplishment, but that didn't happen.  
All that happened was that Soul picked me up faster than I could blink, and ran. The man's wound from Soul's blade wasn't even a wound; it was digitalized. You could see all of the ones and zeros buzzing where his arm should have been, seeming to build his arm back up.

_If he was made of what looked like electric components, is that why he was able to burn me?_

Soul didn't like things he didn't understand, and I couldn't blame him. I buried my face in his shoulder and wrapped my arms around his neck as tight as I could; as though like it meant life or death. With every step he took, the ride seemed to get even bumpier. It was like he was running on a road made of big rocks.

"Hold on tight Maka!"

The good news was that we were only a few blocks away from the apartment. I had never been so happy to see our tiny flat before.  
He put me down quickly and grabbed for the door handle to the main floor of the building, and yanked me in by my wrist. "Come on!" He hissed as we tumbled inside. We darted up the stairs, and swung open the door to our flat after we ran up about 5 or so flights of stairs, and we were greeted by Blair, who was sleeping on the couch and was woken up when Soul slammed the door behind us.

"_Mmrrrow_?" She purred sleepily, looking at us while we panted. Soul was gasping for air even more than I, since he had carried me all the way without slowing down.  
"Hey, what's wrong guys? Were you running away from Maka's Papa? Because he can be really persistent!"

Soul shook his head furiously. "N..no..." He rasped. "Something was out there, and it was after Maka..."

Chills ran up my spine and made my bones go cold. The sudden realization that someone was after me hit me like I was standing in the middle of a busy freeway.

_Who knows what he wants me for!_

The horror that struck me stopped me from breathing so heavily, and I shuffled to my room quietly. "Thank you Soul..." I muttered before silently shutting the door.


	2. Chapter 2

Oh my Shinigami, for what seemed like the first time ever, I wasn't hunting someone on a list; I was being hunted myself. I sat on my bed in my pj's, curled up with a pillow in my face. Why was this so traumatizing? I had been through similar, and I never felt like this before...

_"Just your soul dearie, that's all I want."_

I felt tears prick my eyes from the pure fear that rushed through my body. I was so afraid... so so afraid...

A knock on my door made me jump. "Maka?"

"C-come in..." I slightly whimpered. I didn't mean for it to come out that way, but it just slipped.

Soul's head poked through the doorway when he opened it just enough for him to look inside. "Maka? Are you alright?"

I nodded, but he didn't buy it for a minute. He strode into the room and plopped down on my bed next to me.

"I know you're lying Maka."

I buried my face in my pillow. "How would you know?" My voice muffled.

"The side of the shirt you changed into is covered in blood."

I quickly glanced at my side and noticed he was right: a large amount of scarlet had seeped through the fabric of my tank top. Soul stood up and offered me a hand. "Come on, we're going to clean you up."

I stood up on my own and smiled weakly. "It's fine Soul, I have it-"

Soul took my wrist and pulled me along. "Don't 'It's fine Soul' me. I'm helping you, and that's final. You're my miester, and I want to help."

I groaned as he sat me down in the bathroom. He went under the sink for a moment, rummaging through the many solutions we possessed before picking a select few and some bandages. The cabinets clicked shut when he stood up, using his knee to shut it while opening a pack of gauze.

"Lift up your shirt, Ma'."

A hot blush suddenly rushed across my face. "Wha...?"

"So I can clean your wound bookworm?" He joked.

I nodded and giggled. "Sorry."

My fingers hooked under the side of my blood caked shirt and lifted it up. I couldn't see the wound quite yet, but Soul gasped slightly before biting his tongue.

I became frightened and a cold sweat beaded my forehead. At no point did my brain tell me I had the ability to look for myself, so words were spewing out of my mouth without an intelligent thought in my head.

"What? What's the matter?" I asked, my voice rickety and nervous.

Soul shook his head, his white hair swooshing along with the gestures. "H-he just... how did he...?" Soul leaned in to inspect my wound a little closer, and he set a cold hand on my arm. Goosebumps rose up and dotted my pale skin like weeds in a field of fresh green grass. How had I never noticed his hands were so cold?

_This house is pretty cold, he probably just kept his hands out of his pockets._

"Maka, does this still burn?" He questioned me. I shook my head a little. "No. I would think it does if you touch it though."

Soul sighed, then came back up to my level. "He got you good. Really good. Take a look."

I took a deep breath before looking down at my torso. The sight nearly made me faint. The flesh was raw and red, with large amounts of blood patched in different places. The skin bordering the open wound was slightly charred, and the top layer of my skin was also peeling back. I knew it could've been worse, but I couldn't think straight anyway. My mind was whirling with terrible thoughts of how sickly I would become if I let the burn get infected.

"How did he burn me so bad?" I mumbled under my breath. I tilted my head back and rested my arm over my eyes.

_This has to be a dream. It has to be!_

"Okay Maka, we're just going to take you to the infirmary first thing in the morning, alright?"

I nodded while my mind was still in a daze. The infirmary wouldn't be open right now. It was too late and everyone would have gone home by now; I would just have to deal with the burn all night. The thought pained me to deal with this burn until sunrise, and who knew what might happen by then? It could get infested with germs and get infected like I thought, and I might not be able to fight with Soul for weeks, which would mean we would get behind on turning him into a death-scythe.

He wrapped the gauze around my waist, covering up the burn and making a fairly decent makeshift bandage.

"Come into the living room with me Maka, I'll set you up on the couch so you don't bleed on your bed or something."

I rolled up the bottom of my shirt so it wouldn't rub against the stinging burn, and stood up to follow Soul into the living room. Blair, who must've heard us in the bathroom, surprised both Soul and I with an already set up living room. My lips curled into a small smile, and I thanked her before she left the room to sleep in my bed.

"She really is a sweet girl, huh?" I asked him, his hands moving around to different places on my back and arms to help me lie down. I felt warm inside knowing that my partner was willing to help me; it showed me he still cared about me. There was a feeling for him I couldn't yet understand, and things like this triggered that feeling too.

_Is it only between all meisters and their weapons? Or am I the only one feeling this?_

Now wasn't the time to think about that, so I shrugged it off and listened to his answer. "Yep. I'm glad we took her in. Even though she's always trying to get me to "play" with her!"

I chuckled while he draped a dark red blanket over me. "Yeah."

Soul stood up straight and then leaned over to flick the light off. His white hair looked grey in the dark, and he almost looked like a red-eyed ghost. "Need anything else Maka?"

I tapped a finger lightly on my chin to think. "No, thanks Soul."

Soul gave me a big-toothed grin. Wow, his teeth actually looked scary in the dark.

"You tell me if you need anything, okay?"

I nodded and pulled the covers over my chin. With that, he walked into his room and the door clicked shut.

I couldn't sleep if you paid me. My eyes were watering from lack of sleep, and my mouth was getting dry. I kept feeling like someone was watching me, and I didn't like it. I kept thinking I heard eerie noises coming from the other side of the door, and the shadows scared me out of my wits. It was hardly difficult for me to picture the digital attacker bursting through the door and walking over to me while I slept, shredding his hand through my chest and ripping out my soul in a bloody mess...

I couldn't take it anymore; I needed to sleep.

I threw the covers off of me and hobbled over to Soul's door quietly. Balling up my fist, I knocked just loud enough for him to hear me.

A groggy response came from the other side. "Yeah...?"

"Umm... Soul, can I sleep with you? I can't sleep out here."

I waited for a response, but instead the door opened to reveal a bed-headed weapon. He was shirtless, and his scar that stretched from the top of his left shoulder to his right hip stuck out like a sore thumb. Seeing it made me remember when I was depressed about it for days; without the things we had been through together up to now, I don't think that I would have lasted as a partner fit for him.

"Eh? Did I hear you can't sleep? Is it because of your wound?" He slurred.

"No... It's just..." How hard was this? How did I explain to him that I'm scared out of my mind without sounding like a complete idiot?

"I'm... scared."

"Scared of what Maka?"

"That man... It feels like he'll barge through the door and take me while I sleep out on the couch, completely vulnerable..." I shivered. Soul took my hand and gently pulled me into his room before shutting the door again.

"I understand Maka. Yeah, you can sleep in here with me."

There was something about his tone that sounded like he was depressed. Was he worrying about me like I did for him after the battle with Crona?

_Pshh... He's too "cool" for that..._

I followed Soul to his bed, and we both got under the blankets. I was relatively close to him, but his bed was cozy and a little larger than mine, so we had some elbow room. I was laying on my side, with my back to him, and I looked over my shoulder at him. "Thank you Soul."

His arm draped over my waist and pulled me a little closer, sort of like a seatbelt. I could feel a light blush tingle across my cheeks. Thank god it was dark in the room and I was facing the other way. "It's okay Maka. I'll protect you, so you don't have to worry. I'd do anything for my meister..."

I heard his voice drift off as he fell back into a peaceful slumber, and his arm slipped back off of me. In the back of my mind, I wished his arm was still around me; it made me feel even more protected and safe than just being next to him. But alas, he wouldn't be able to do that all night anyway, and if I asked him to, I would look ridiculous.

Sometimes, I wished I could understand my feelings.


	3. Chapter 3

My eyes were heavy, and I didn't want to wake up. The alarm clock on Soul's nightstand was going off, and I was too lazy to shift and shut it off. It was a Saturday morning, so he must've forgotten to shut it off. My vision was dark until I opened my eyes. I turned to look at Soul, and an arm slid onto my waist like a seatbelt once more, dragging me in.

"Mornin Maka. You ready to go to the infirmary like I promised?"

At first, my head was resting on his shoulder; now it was pressed into his bare chest. I knew he was just giving me a simple hug, but my cheeks flushed red. Why did my brain have to do this to me?! "Y-yeah Soul. Good morning."

To play off my foolish thoughts, I turned around and I hugged him back. I had slept in his bed once before when we were both upset, and I realized it was the best thing to do to tighten a bond between a weapon and their meister. You were most vulnerable while you slept. It helped you trust them; if you trusted them to be with you while you sleep like that, then you can trust them with almost anything. It's hard to explain, and that's exactly how I felt. I felt valued, trusted, and calm.

A low grumble came from my stomach, and Soul laughed. "Jeez Maka, when was the last time you ate?"

"Yesterday, at like 12 o' clock." I moaned, feeling the emptiness in my stomach grow stronger with every passing second.

"Oh wow, you've gone close to a day without eating anything?"

"Mmhm..."

"Okay then, we'll go grab some breakfast, my treat. You feelin' up to it?" He asked, climbing over me and getting out of the bed. He smelled of men's deodorant, and the fragrance smelled delicious. I couldn't tell what it was, but it was amazing. I was enjoying the aroma so much I almost forgot to answer him.

"Ummm... Soul, what about my burn?"

Soul slapped himself in the forehead harshly and shook his head. "Damn, how the heck did I forget that? I guess I'm just too used to a regular Saturday morning, huh?"

I smiled while he slipped on his tropical orange tee-shirt. "Yep. I'll go get dressed and we can get going."

I had no idea what amount of pain I would feel when I tried to get up, but I soon figured it out with a swift motion of my abdomen to sit up.

I screeched, falling back onto the bed. All my teeth began to grind together as the burning sensation bit at me like a small snake with a deadly bite. Soul rushed over to me and my hand flew to his, tears forming in my eyes. The searing pain tore through me, and I couldn't tell if I was breaking bones in his fingers, but he wouldn't have told me if I did anyway.

_What is this?_

The burning felt like it was spreading through my body, and my stomach flipped over; I wasn't hungry anymore.

"Maka, where does it hurt?"

"E-Everywhere..." I whimpered under my breath. Soul's red eyes were filled with confusion as he sat me up carefully. His strong arm was supporting my back, and his hard red eyes staring into my emerald orbs. "It's okay Maka, just hold on…"  
He fumbled for the phone on the dresser as if he was drunk. I usually would've laughed, but I could barely breathe. My vision was becoming filled with stars, and I felt Soul's grip get tighter on my shoulders. I could just faintly make out that he was frantically rambling into the phone, probably to Stein.

As if it couldn't get any worse.

I was on the brink of slipping under the blanket of unconsciousness, when I felt the sense _draining_ from my shoulders down. I couldn't move my fingers, toes, or anything else, and my anxiety was built up to the ceiling.

Everything was a blur after Soul lifted me up and spoke gingerly. "It's alright Maka, we're gonna' get you to the dispensary, I promise."

All could hear after that was the sound of the alarm clock, which we forgot to shut off, blaring in the background.

...

On the way to the dispensary, I passed out. The pain seemed to travel through my blood all throughout my body; from the nerves in my burn to the ones in my fingers and toes. Until at one point it all was too overwhelming, and I was knocked out cold.

When I woke up, I was in a hospital gown, and I still couldn't feel most of my body. I alternated attempting to move different limbs, but the only part that I succeeded in moving was my neck. I glanced around the room, my vision very blurry and not seeming to focus anytime soon.

The white walls of the infirmary hurt my eyes, and I just decided to close them again to save myself from the pain; something I was in too much of already. I was itching to solve the puzzle of my mysterious burn.

Before I could begin to ponder, someone came into the room, the door creaking open.  
"Hello?" I muttered, opening my eyes to see the blurry outline of a body. I recognized the slurred look of a white lab coat, and a head with a protruding object.

"Hello Maka. How do you feel?"

"Stein..." I groaned. "I can't see anything Professor Stein... and I can't move..."

I sensed Stein kneel down beside my bed, and use his tobacco-stained fingers to brush back the hair that hung in my eyes. He studied me for a moment, and I smelled the plume of smoke he puffed in an alternate direction to mine. "Your pupils are very contracted; you almost cannot see them."

My stomach tightened, and I felt my eyes well up in terror. "W-What's wrong with me Professor?"

I felt him grip my shoulder, which was just barely numb anymore. It was a comforting gesture; letting me know other parts of me weren't disabled. "Maka, I understand you're scared. Anyone, even people who are as brave as you, would be afraid. Soul told me what happened the other night, and I've been trying to do anything I can-"

"Wait! The other night? How long have I been out?!"

He sighed. "About three days..."

Three days?! What has happened since then? Where was Soul? Where was Liz? Or Patti, or Tsubaki? Black*Star? Kid? Crona?

I felt so out of touch with everything all at once.

I struggled as I tried to push myself up on my numb arms, but I failed and fell back onto the bed. I wanted to get out of here and be with my friends. I felt so alone, and I knew that if I couldn't be with the group that was another family to me, I would surely go insane.

"Maka, don't strain yourself." Stein said nonchalantly, stubbing out his cigarette on the side of a garbage can before tossing it in.

"Soul... where is Soul? Where is anybody?" I mewled.

Just then, the door moaned as it was carefully opened. I couldn't tell who it was.

"Oh my goodness Sis! Maka's all sick! I still can't believe it!"

"Yes Patty, I see that. We're not here to make her feel bad, we're here to see her and keep her company."

"Let's ask Stein before we go in."

It was Tsubaki, Liz, and Patty. I was submerged in joy. I would have company that wasn't a dissection-crazed doctor.

_I wonder if he did anything to me in my sleep?_ I thought as he rolled on his chair, backwards and out of the curtain to greet the girls.

He must be telling them about how I can't see and move. I thought, trying to move my fingers and toes again with another failure.

I heard the curtain swish, and a couple gasps. "Oh my gosh Maka!"

By the time my available senses caught up, they were all hugging me. "I can't believe this..." Tsubaki whispered.

"Don't worry Maka, we'll do anything it takes to find the bastard that did this to you." Liz wept, pressing her face against my shoulder. I forgot that Liz got very emotional sometimes, and it completely caught me off guard.

"Hey Maka?" Patty chimed.

"Yeah?" I replied, feeling Tsubaki and Liz hug me a little tighter.  
"You'll be okay, right?"

I felt my bottom lip begin to tremble at the thought. Would I be okay? Would I ever be normal again? Would I be able to live up to my expectations as a meister?

No. I needed to relax.

I needed to be strong.

...

After they left, I was alone again. Stein had to go talk to Lord Death. I wanted someone there to talk to, but the room was just hollow of life.

My blanket covered my arms, and went up to my chin. I was propped up ever so slightly with a pillow, and my joints were very relaxed in the position. The overhead fan was going, which kept me from getting hot under the coverings.

I heard another knock on the door, and they stepped inside.

"Hello? Stein?"

My throat had gone barren again, so I couldn't yell to them that I was in here, but they figured it out.

My vision had not gotten any better, but I knew from their voice that the person who opened the curtain to my little safe-haven was the symmetry-crazed, black and white haired reaper boy.

"Hello Kid... you're not usually the type to come alone." I teased him.

"Hello Maka. My dad sent me here to see how you were doing and keep you company while Stein was out. I was going to come later anyway, but the sooner the better I guess." He said, sitting down on the stool next to my bed. "How are you feeling?"

I looked in his direction, his outline just barely visible. "I'm okay, I just can't see or move." I laughed, figuring that joking about it may make me feel better. "Do you know where Soul is?"

Kid went quiet, shifting on the stool. "Umm... He's at your apartment; he's pretty much succeeded in isolating himself from what I understand. Sorry about that Maka."

_Isolation? Soul wouldn't do that..._

"Did he tell you why he's doing that?" I questioned, trying to focus my vision.

"Well, I went there with Liz and Patty yesterday, and your feline friend Blair answered the door. I asked where he was, and that I'd like to talk to him, but she said that he locked himself in his room and wouldn't come out."

"God dang it..." I whimpered. I wanted to see Soul and make sure he was okay. I wanted to hold his hand again like when he was in my position. I missed him dearly; he was my partner, after all. He was an important part of me that no one could replace.

...

I watched Maka's face twist into a look of hurt. It boiled my blood that Soul was being so selfish, and hurting his meister. Being a Shinigami and seeing something like this was quite aggravating.

I stood up and Maka blindly glanced in my direction. Her pupils were barely noticeable, and I wondered what all she could see. "Kid, where are you going?"

I straightened out my jacket, and stepped towards her bed to make sure she could hear me. "I'm going to get your partner. You're my friend Maka, and I can't deal with my friends being upset very well. I'll be back with your partner as soon as you can say symmetry."

I took out my cell phone as I quietly walked out the door. I flipped open the black electronic device with a skull emblem engraved in gold on the back. I heard the click of the person I dialed picking up the phone.

"Yeah Kid?"

"Liz, grab Patty; we're going to go get Soul."


	4. Chapter 4

I rapped on the door of the apartment in question, with my twin pistols at my sides. The door swung open to reveal Blair in her pajamas. She stretched and yawned. "Hello reaper boy! Whatcha' need?"

I cleared my throat. "Can we please speak to Soul, Blair? Maka misses him dearly, and she is worried about him."

Blair giggled. "Okay silly, I'll let you try to get to him since you've been so determined!"

I nodded my thanks to Blair, and we made our way to Soul's door.

"Soul!" I yelled. "Get out here!"

No answer. Silence.

"Soul get out here! How you're acting is completely disgraceful, and your partner probably thinks the same!"

No answer. Again.

Frustrated, and steam almost seeping out of my ears, I kicked his door open. The doorknob broke, and clattered to the floor as Liz and I stood there in awe while Patti giggled. "Hehehe! He's not even there!"

My eye twitched in annoyance. Where the hell was he?

I felt a soft hand on my shoulder, and I looked at Liz behind me. "It's okay Kid, we'll find him. Let's all split up and look for him."

I nodded, and we stormed out of the apartment as Blair waved goodbye before letting the door softly click behind us.

...

My priority was to find clues. Not just any clues, like easy ones; I wanted hardcore traces that the evil bastard left behind. I had on my black leather jacket with no hood, so my hair blew around freely in the soft whistling wind. The only thing keeping it slightly tamed was a plastic black headband.

My hard red eyes were concentrated on the area surrounding what was the place where Maka was attacked and viciously burned a few nightfalls ago. I felt my soul wavelength go insane as the pain in my heart deepened. She was my meister, and I failed to protect her.  
Now she may be in this pain forever.

I was going to visit her tonight, since I couldn't stand not being by her side for another day. I thought about how she would be laying in that bed with a searing burn; maybe even worse. I hadn't seen her since the incident; trying to isolate yourself from the rest of the world will only work for so long.

I glanced around the alleyway, looking for anything that could be potential evidence as to where this guy went, when I saw something with items toppling out of it beside a garbage can.

"Maka, you moron. You left your bookbag." I grumbled, squatting down and picking things up to shove them in the black backpack.

Suddenly, something light-orange caught my eye. It was a string-like object almost submerged under the waste-bin. I gently picked it up, studying it with a puzzled look. "A wire?"

_Could this possibly be connected to the attacker in any way?_

The sun was beginning to set, and I heard a few shuffles of footsteps behind me. My instinct kicked in, and my arm turned into the deadly black and red signature blade, and I spun around. My mind was fuzzy for a moment before my blade morphed back into an arm.  
"Soul, we've been worried sick about you!" Liz shouted at me, stomping her heeled-boots on the asphalt. "Where have you been?"

I shrugged lightly. "I've been... out..."

Liz just shook her head and grabbed my arm to drag me. "Come on, Kid wants to see you."  
I groaned and took my arm back from the eldest Thompson sister, and followed her to a corner that was near Death Bucks Café, where we met Kid and Patty. Kid had the death glare on me, and I knew I might be the guinea pig for a new kind of Shinigami-Chop.

But instead, Kid took a breath, and looked me dead in the eyes with the gold pools that symbolized royalty. "Soul, do you know how long you've managed to neglect your meister?"  
I felt stupid; I couldn't remember. I hadn't gone to bed at all since I brought Maka to the dispensary, so I hadn't kept track of days and nights. But I also felt anger.  
"About... A day and a half?" I guessed unhappily. "And by the goddamn way Kid, I haven't been 'neglecting' her."

He took another breath to hold himself. "Soul Eater Evans, you have been gone for almost four days, and your meister is worried sick! What were you doing if you weren't there with her and you weren't being a selfish little child?"

"I was looking for clues to help us catch that... that... THING that attacked my partner! I want to find him and tear his limbs off one by one for hurting my meister!" I used my hands for emphasis during my phase of boiling blood, anger drumming inside of my body. Kid gave me a look, as if to tell me to shut up, and he nudged his head to ditzy Patty, who looked at me curiously.

I sighed. Those were some pretty intense thoughts; thoughts better kept to myself. I couldn't predict whether or not my gruesome description would snap some wire in Patty's mind, so I let it fly away with the wind that blew around us, getting slower with the passing hours.

Kid clutched my wrist, and we locked eyes. "Come on, we're going to the academy."

...

I twiddled my thumbs while sitting alone in the waiting room. Stein had to do a few mandatory things for Maka before I came in. Things like changing her sheets and such; which he forgot to do earlier. I was itching to go in and see my meister, but then I thought about how she must feel.

_That burn must feel intense…_

Stein came out, holding a clean white cloth in his hands. "Soul, I would like for you to come in the hallway with me for a moment, if you don't mind."

I nodded my head, and followed him out of the room. He shut the large oak door behind me, and looked down upon me with sincere eyes.

"Soul," he spoke, "you haven't seen Maka in a few days, and you deserve to know her condition."

Stein paused for a moment to pull out a long stick of tobacco, sticking it in his mouth and lighting it with a match.

"Well?" I asked anxiously.

He took a puff of the cigarette before responding.

"She is temporarily blind and paralyzed. As I told her earlier, I've been sticking to the hypothesis that her nerves were very badly damaged; as for her eyes, it may be a side affect."

My heart began to race. Why didn't I come and see her before? I felt so trashy and useless.

"How long until she recovers?"

"A month tops."

I let out a very faint sigh of relief. At least it wasn't permanent, or I wouldn't know what to do with myself. I would be forced by the school to get a new meister, and Maka's poor bookworm heart would break. I couldn't live with myself if that happened. I think that overall, I would've just quit the DWMA. Maka was my ideal partner. She was the piece of the puzzle that my life needed to get closer to being completed. Her very presence seemed to make the black-blood that flowed inside my veins recede, and I would've gone insane without her, too.

"When can she come home?" I asked him, watching the thick smoke drizzle through the air.  
"Well, she can probably come home with you in a few days; if you're that eager to take care of a blind and paralyzed person for about a month." Stein said that last part sarcastically, which made my blood boil.

"Of course I would."

Stein looked at me with suprise glinting behind his silver-framed glasses.  
"That's right Stein. I'll take care of my meister. Whatever she needs, she can count on me to be there for her." I grinned, seeing his expression change from suprised to dead-serious in two seconds.

"Are you sure Soul? This is an enourmous task; it's like caring for a baby 24/7, you know."

I lifted my hand to slide my fingers through my white locks while I chuckled, maneuvering around my obsidian hair band. "It's not gonna be very different from living with her regularly, huh?"

Stein bellowed with laughter, and reached his hand over me to tousle my hair around. "Ahh... clever kid."

I hit away at his hand, smoothing my hair back down so I didn't look like a mad scientist who had just been struck by lightning. He finished his cigarette, and went for the gold-polished doorknob and grasped it lightly. "Okay, you ready to go in caretaker?"  
I nodded, and the Stein headed insides with me tagging along. We made our way to the very last curtain, and he pulled it aside with a whoosh, and I stepped inside with Stein to see my helpless meister lying in her bed. The covers caressed her bare neck that wasn't covered by her hospital gown, and her golden hair was down out of her ponytails that made her look like more of a child, yet was so her at the same time. She looked up at me, and what I saw terrified me and would haunt my mind forever.

Her eyes were unbelievable. The only part of her pupils you could see were a tiny dot in the middle, with a fully visible emerald green irises surrounding them. It reminded me of a single group completely encased by the enemy in a war.

"Soul? Is that you?" She asked in a hopeful tone, happiness beginning to sparkle in her blind eyes. That happiness pained me, because there was no way she wasn't trying to act like she was alright, so I wouldn't worry. I hated it when Maka faked things; she knew for a fact that I could see through her act, but she kept at it.

This time, instead of telling her to quit with the act, I just didn't care.  
"Y-yes Maka, I'm here..." I mumbled, looking at her while gently sitting down beside her on the bed. I took her hand, which was unmoving by her side, and grasped it in mine. "Maka, are you alright? How do you feel?"

"I'm fine Soul. Don't worry about me, it's unnecessary. I'll be fine in a month or so."  
I felt irritation pricking at my skin, but I grinned. "And that's why you're coming home in a few days, Maka."

An embarrassed look spread across her face. "B-but Soul, I'll be such a burden at home!"

"Maka, you're my meister, and as I've said many times before, I'll stay by your side and help you through everything. It was a promise I made from the very beginning, and I don't intend on breaking it."

Her gaze was vacant, and I knew that she couldn't argue with me now. I smirked.  
"Okay Maka, three days from now, you're coming home with me and Blair. We'll make sure you're as comfortable as possible."

She didn't argue with that.


	5. Chapter 5

It was twelve o' clock by the time Stein told me it was time to go. Well, he didn't tell me; he almost literally threw me out the door. The time had completely slipped my mind while I talked to Maka. I sat on my pride and joy; my sun-colored motorcycle, and drove home through the empty streets of Death City. My mind wandered to the the conversations we had while I sat at her bedside while I sped through the quiet roads to make my way home.

We talked about many different things. First off, I updated her on home, and we called Tsubaki on my cell phone to see what was going on at school. Then, we got on discussion about many past missions, recalling the funny moments and the harsh ones. What was last was certainly the best.

She had fallen asleep in my arms.

I had begun to hold her about when we started to talk to Tsubaki; I sat on the bed next to her, and she used me as something to prop herself up. Her back was against my chest, and she looked very comfortable while we chatted with the shadow weapon over the speaker-phone.

_"You comfortable Maka?" I asked her. She looked up in my direction and gave a weak smile._

_"Yeah, I think I would be if I could feel my body from the shoulders down."_  
_I slapped my forehead. "Okay Maka, don't ever let me be in charge of something important again, because I'm so stupid I'll forget."_

_We both laughed, and so did Tsubaki on the other end._

There was something different about Maka to me now. She meant even more to me than before; not that she wasn't the most important person in my life to begin with. I sorta mean in a different way. I savored the feeling of her blonde hair brushing against my arm while her head slowly tilted. I heard her begin to lightly snore, and I felt as though I couldn't leave her. I wanted to take her home tonight, but I knew Stein wouldn't allow it; no matter how much I tried argueing with him. I got up off the bed, gently resting her head on the pillow and sitting on the stool beside her. I just sat there and watched her sleep. I know it sounds creepy, but she was adorable while she slept. Maka's features masqueraded an angel, and I never really noticed it before today.

I regained my thoughts when I reached the house, still feeling warm about my night spent with my green-eyed meister. I went up into my room, sleeping on thoughts of what the next month would be like.

_3 days later_

"Do we have the medicine?"

"Yes Soul…"

"Do we have all of your clothes?"

"Yes So-"

"What about your IPod? Or your-"

"Soul!" Maka laughed. "We have everything. Can we please go home now?"

I scratched my head, looking around the room. "Yeah… just as long as we've got everything."

I rummaged around in a couple of the bags that hung on the handles of Maka's wheelchair, looking through everything just to make one-hundred percently sure.

Today, Maka was coming home, just like Stein promised. He gave me medicine for Maka's burn; one pill to take at night and one to take in the morning, as well as a special bodywash he made so it would clean her injury and keep it protected against infection.  
After we made sure we had everything, I thanked Stein, and wheeled Maka out of the dispensary. Today, I was going to walk her all the way home in the beautiful weather, so she could enjoy the sweet air and cool breeze that seemed to gently flow through the city. After we made it into the city, we were accompanied by Crona, who was sitting outside of a cafe and waiting for Ragnarok to finish his meal.

"Heya dummy #1 and dummy #2, what's shakin'?"The demon sword piped up while Crona walked beside us. Maka went from happy to see Crona to wanting to kill Ragnarok in two seconds flat.

Still wheeling her, I leaned forward and whispered in her ear, "Don't mind the little fella. He can't do any more harm than a mosquito."

She giggled, and returned to her normal self. Maka looked up at Crona, her eyes looking up at him aimlessly. It was hard to remember she couldn't really see, since the scythe-wielder acted completely normal.

"So Crona, how's the make-up testing for class going?" She asked.

"Well, not very good. Ragnarok keeps trying to cheat, so we always have to start the test over."

I laughed. Not at Crona, but at Maka, who I could tell wanted to slam a book right through Ragnarok's little cranium.

We kept on through the city, going through the bustling crowds of people. Smells of dumplings and fresh cooked rice balls wafted through the street a block away from our apartment. People were crowded by a restaurant with the windows wide open, so it made it easy getting through the street.

When we got to our flat, Crona opened the door for me to wheel Maka through. I nodded my thanks, and pushed her through the lobby and into the elevator.

_Good thing we've got an elevator, or I'd have to carry Maka all the way up the five flights of stairs!_ I thought.

When we got to our door on the fifth level, I slid the key into the hole, and twisted the doorknob, swinging it open to find a very dark apartment.

"Where the heck is the lightswitch?" I mumbled while slamming my hand around on the wall to flick on the lights.

I didn't expect to scream and fall over when I turned on the light.

"Surprise! Welcome home Maka!" Everyone shouted, popping up out of random places in the living room. I was extremely surprised by the crowd, but Maka was delighted. I could only imagine if she could move and see; she would be sitting with a large grin painted on her face, and clapping her hands together in happiness.

But instead, she gave a smile and a surprised gasp. "Oh wow! Everyone is here! I can sense it!"

I was puzzled. "Wait, Maka, you can still see souls?"

Maka nodded. "Yep. I practiced it a few times on the way here."

Soon, everyone was surrounding Maka in a cluster of friends. We all sat with her and the girls told her about the local happenings, such as gossip and other girly things, while some boys tried to tell her about sports updates, which she politely listened to, despite not being interested in sports.

I sat at the counter, drinking a sweet and sugary cola, when my friend Black*Star marched up to me. It was odd not seeing him try to be the center of attention.

"Wazzup?" I asked, fist bumping him, then tossing him a can of fizz. The blue-haired ninja snapped it open by popping the tab, and he took a swig.

"Man, this sucks. Maka over there is gettin' all of the attention! I mean, why? I'm their god, not her!"

I blinked for a moment, hen began laughing my head off. That was the Black*Star I knew; not wanting to give up the spotlight. His egotistic attitude seemed to scream at me, "I'm here! Don't forget about me!"

I looked to the ninja, who was staring hard at my meister. What the heck was he doing?

"What's up with you man?" I asked, taking another sip of my pop.

He shook his head, and gave me a thumbs-up with an award-winning smile. "Just thinkin', ya' know?"

I really didn't. I'm not saying I didn't know how to think, I'm saying I didn't know what he was supposedly trying to think about. So I decided to be as blunt as an unsharpened knife with him.

"Nope. I don't. What exactly were you thinking _about_?"

Black*Star's mouth opened up for the world to see while he laughed rather obnoxiously. "I was thinking about how cool Maka is. She's a good friend and meister, bro, don't lose her."

He gave me those words of wisdom, and walked away after giving me a pat in the back. I watched the shadow-weapon meister stroll over to Kid, and I could only think one thing.

_So not cool, Black*Star. Not cool at all._

...

The night ended with our friends leaving, with only Maka, Blair, and I at home. I glanced at the clock with hazy eyes, and read 10:39. Thank god it wasn't a school night, or we'd be in for it.

Maka yawned, with me expecting to see her stretch like she always did. It was so different seeing her sit there and do nothing but talk and breathe; almost awkward. I saw her eyelids begin to droop, making me laugh.

Damn, she must be tired...

Her head bobbed forward after she fell asleep in her chair, not making a peep with her blond hair hanging down with her face. Gripping the handles of the wheelchair, I slowly pushed her into her room. I was about to pick her up an lay her on the bed when I thought of something.

She wasn't wearing her bedclothes. And she couldn't change into them herself.

I knew my face must've been red just thinking about it. I walked out of Maka's room and back into the living room, where Blair curled up on the couch in cat form.

"Umm... Blair, could you do me a favor?" I asked, feeling my cheeks get hotter.

"Nyah?"

"Could you change Maka into her bedclothes for me? I don't wanna invade her privacy and be a perv..."

She took a moment to do her little cat stretches, then turned into her woman form. Her purple hair curled at the ends in the front, and the rest hung out in the back. She wore her old-ladyish nightgown, which looked a little odd on a primarily seductive kitty cat.

"You can count on me Soul!" Blair purred, skipping past me and into Maka's room, shutting the door behind her.

A few moments later, Blair came back out, looking more accomplished than she had in awhile. "All done! Maka-Maka's ready to take a catnap, nyah!"

I gave a sigh of relief. "Thank you Blair. Goodnight."

"Goodnight Soul!" She cheered, morphing back into a cat and claiming the couch.

When I walked back into Maka's alcove, she was sitting up straight in her wheelchair, wearing a simple white nightgown that made her glow with sweet elegance. She was staring off into space when I strolled in, and she turned her head upwards upon my entrance. "You're very considerate Soul. Thank you for thinking about my privacy before acting. It makes me feel good." Maka smiled.

"Thanks Maka, but it's nothing. You ready for bed?"

She nodded. "Yeah, I think I am."

With that, I gently lifted her dainty frame, and cautiously laid her on the mattress. She gave a sigh while I draped a blanket over her. It took me a few minutes to get her head comfortable and secure, by adding pillows and moving them to support her shaky neck.

"Hey Soul?"

"Yes Maka?"

"Do you think we could do something tomorrow? Like go to the pond or something?"

I smiled and responded, "Sure Maka. We can do whatever you want."

I could sense her soul wavelength, and it was completely stable and content. Her expression soon presented what her soul did. The edges of her sculpted lips went upward in a small smile, and her eyes became half-lidded. "Thanks Soul. Goodnight..."

Maka stared at me for a moment, before her lids shut and her chest rose up and down steadily in a calm manner. Her bangs hung in her face, and I slipped my calloused fingertip across her forehead to brush the small locks aside.

I examined her for a moment before leaning over gently to give her a light kiss on the forehead. "Nite Maka. Sleep tight."

I was walking out the door when Blair slipped in. She hopped onto the foot of Maka's bed, and I smiled. Good thing she had someone to keep her company.

When I got to my room to hit the hay, I flopped onto my bed and stared up at the ceiling in deep thought, with my arms cross over my chest, and my leather jacket stripped off and tossed to the floor.

My thoughts were the same as they had been for the past few days; who was the monster of a man that did this to her?

I had begun to piece clues together one by one. My first thoughts were about how his arm was digitalized. Ones and zeros were technical codes on computers and other electronic devices, which led me to the suspicion of the wire at the scene. Did he drop the wire himself, or was it purely coincidence that the wire was just lying around? All the possibilities and questions overflowed my brain, and I was surprised ideas weren't floating out of my ears, mouth and nose.

I finally gave a long sigh, deciding it was time to go to bed. I turned my head and glanced at the clock, seeing the numbers blink 1:08. I yawned and stretched, making myself comfortable in my twin bed, and I draped the covers over myself, all the way up to my chin.

I looked out the window at the smiling moon that was in the middle of Death City's night sky. It cackled away while hanging in the air, and I found my eyes glued to it before I fell into the world of slumber I had always known.

* * *

**Hey guys! Meg here! Just wanted to tell you guys how much I appreciate that you read this story! I would love it if you could review it and tell me how it is! I just love feedback! :3**

**Now, back to writing! :D**

**Peace!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

I awoke early the next morning, feeling tired, but ready to start a new day. I swung my legs over the edge of the bed, and felt the sting of bright sunlight hit my eyes.

"Damn it..." I groaned, leaning over and closing my blinds. When my sun-stricken eyes adjusted, I saw the clock read 12:30.  
_Dang. Maka should be up by now._  
I got up and tiptoed into Maka's room to see if she was awake yet.

I poked my head in through the crack in her door, only to see my sleeping meister, who looked peaceful in her bed with Blair buried up at her feet in cat form. I decided not to wake her; yet.

_I think I'll surprise my meister..._

...

_Overwhelming darkness._

The darkness was flooding around me, and I felt as though I were floating in nothingness. My feet weren't touching the ground, and my shoulders were absent of a usual obsidian black coat. My feet suddenly planted into an invisible force, which seemed to be ground. My body felt hollow as I swayed while surveying my surroundings.

There was a sudden change.

The "walls" around me started to encode ones and zeros, all in random orders. But the longer I looked in one spot, the more apparent a Japanese character became. The ones made up the character, and the zeros bordered it.

A chill ran up my spine and my hair stood on edge.

The character was the Japanese word "tamashii", which meant "soul" in English.

My soul...

I suddenly felt something grip my ankle, and I shot my gaze to my foot, which was being raveled in a wire. I furiously shook my leg, trying to get it off, but another came and took my arm. Then one for my waist. Then one for my other arm, leg, and around my neck. I was completely trapped, and each time I moved a muscle, the cords got tighter.

What the hell... is this? I thought, my body beginning to shake from the terror that slithered through me.

A sudden shadow was cast over me, and I opened my mouth to scream.

Nothing came from my parched lips.

It was the man. The one who attacked me the other night. I felt tears pour down my face as I looked into where his eyes would be, since he was wearing the same hooded outfit as the other night.

He laughed at me, and poked a finger in the center of my chest while the cords hoisted me up, and put me on display for him.

"I told you I'd get your soul girlie. Sayonara, Maka Albarn."

His hand suddenly jammed through my sternum, breaking the bone and making me cry out in agony. I felt the hot and sticky blood pour out as his fingers dug through the shredded muscle tissue, and my shrieks became more violent. After a moment more of digging around, his hand came out with what he was looking for; my winged Grigori soul. One in fifty-million.

I felt all my life force draining from me, as well as my blood, which was dripping on the ground under my hanging body.

My neck gave out, and my head hung forward. I was dead.

...

I woke up screeching louder than an ambulance's siren. Cold sweat beaded my forehead and my hair stuck to my neck from the perspiration. I felt Blair jump up in surprise, and she darted into the living room.

A few moments later, I heard Soul rush in frantically, shakily asking me what was wrong. I couldn't speak. No way. I felt my tongue twist into a knot, which kept me quiet, and my thoughts were scattered.

"Maka, please tell me what's wrong. Come on..." Soul begged.

"D-Dream..." I managed to sputter out. "Nightmare... about that... man. He ripped out my soul..."

I felt Soul pluck me off the bed, with my head resting against his shoulder. His touch was consoling, and made everything alright. He held me tight, and brought me into what I think was the living room, sitting down on the couch and holding me more. He caressed the back of my hair while telling me it was only a dream, and soon, the terrified feeling faded away. He had that magic touch, I swear he did. No normal person is able to calm someone down that easily.

_He must go to psychology classes while I sleep. I knew he snuck out for something._ I joked in my mind, listening to Soul's heart, which thrummed against his chest. I secretly adored that heartbeat. A for sure way to tell if my weapon was alive.

"I know what'll make you feel better." Soul chimed.

"And what would that be?" I asked, resentful that he was standing up and laying me on the couch. I didn't want to be deprived of his calming touch, fearing that I may fall back into the state of trepidation.

"You'll see. Be right back." He said, walking into the other room. I tilted my head back on a pillow and tried to make my breathing not feel like it was constricting my lungs with every swig of friggin' air. Suddenly, a heavenly scent whisked its way into my nose. I felt my tastebuds begin to water at the smell of sweet pancakes. The fragrance of butter and syrup mixed in with the familiar smell of fluffy hot cakes made by my partner made my mood turn right around.

He stepped into the room, and I heard him let the plate clink on the table as he sat down beside me. He helped me sit up, and then he took the plate back into his possession. I heard him cutting into the pancakes with the side of our silver forks, and he chucked as he said, "Open wide, Maka."

I felt my cheeks grow red with embarrassment. He had fed me once before, but that was months ago; and it was more embarrassing than when the whole gang hung out in public, and Kid flipped out on a girl for her hairdo being crazily asymmetrical. Well, that embarrassed all of us.

I opened my mouth a little, and he grunted in slight frustration. "More Maka."

I opened up my mouth normally, and he gently fed me a piece of pancake. It was as good as it smelled. The hot cake was so fluffy that it practically melted in my mouth, along with the salty butter and the maple syrup.

An unknown noise of satisfaction came from me, and Soul laughed.

"This is so good!" I praised before taking another hand-fed bite. He chuckled. "Thanks Maka."

After he fed me the rest of the delectable griddle-cake, he washed the dishes and sat next to me on the couch once more.

"Feel better yet?"

I was about to nod, when I suddenly remembered something.

"I'll feel really good if I can take a bath." I laughed. "I haven't taken one in like two days!"

He grew quiet for a moment, and I suddenly realized why, adding awkwardness to the silence.

How was I _supposed_ to bathe? I felt my cheeks growing red and my throat growing dry once again. It seemed to do that too much lately. Abruptly, Soul began to laugh. I gazed in his direction senselessly. I could see the character of his soul, and it was grinning with amusement.

"What's so funny?"

I could feel the couch cushions tilt back in the direction he leaned. I heard his fingers searching for something in his pocket, when I realized he pulled out his cell-phone. "I'll I just call Blair. I don't wanna invade your privacy, and you're both girls, after all."

I noticed the hint of playfulness in his voice. Was he implying one of us wasn't a girl?

_Smarty pants..._

"Yes Soul. I'm a girl."

He chuckled into the phone, when the cat answered. The snowy-haired weapon explained the plan to her, and he hung up the phone by flipping it closed.

"She'll be home at about seven. That's when she gets off work."

I nodded. "Okay, Thanks."

"No problem Maka."

He lifted himself off the couch again, and told me that he was going to make sure we had all the special serums for me to use. After the room was empty, I tilted my head back again and thought about my injury. I hated myself for letting _him_ catch me. Now I was a nuisance to the entire household. I wished that I could slap myself silly. I was so weak now. All because of that **stupid** patch of charred flesh. The side effects were almost unreal. How could a stupid burn paralyze and blind a person?

I had too many questions, and absolutely no answers.

Just my luck.

...

I felt the hot water dribbling down from the top of my head and rushing down my bare shoulders. I had my arms at my sides, and the section of my body from the collarbone down was submerged. Blair had a warm sponge that dripped the soothing liquid in my golden locks, which I knew would make them turn brown.

"Is the water okay hun?" Blair meowed while untangling my sandy blonde strands with her slender fingers. I nodded, thinking hard about the many things that rushed through my mind. Mostly worries traveled through my brain. Minor things, like schoolwork, and the large things, like my blindness. God damn it all. I felt like trash. Complete trash. I couldn't stop mentally punishing myself for it.

I heard the kitten fumbling for something, and I could tell it was hair care products by the sound of the plastic bottles clunking together.

"Here it is! Prescription body-wash for a Miss Maka!" She purred happily, slapping the cap on the counter and making a popping noise when whacking the bottle.

After she washed me off with the special concoction, Blair helped me get dressed and dried my hair with a fuzzy towel from the closet.

"You sure do have pretty hair Maka. I'm envious!"

For what seemed like the first time in forever, I laughed out loud. "You? Envious of (me)? No way Blair, don't flatter me."

"It's true Maka! Learn to lighten up and take a compliment!"

I thought about it for a moment, and realized that she was right. I never really knew how to deal with anyone's compliments.

"Thanks Blair." I said, beginning to beam with a small amount of pride for the hair that covered my head. Silly, I know. But then again, doesn't everyone deserve that moment every once in awhile to be silly?

...

I suddenly felt a vibration in my front pocket, and I dug my fingers in my jeans to tug out my phone. The caller-ID read "_Death the Kid_".

Why the hell would Kid be calling me? It had better not be a call notifying me about some stupid inspection to check if our house is clean enough. If it is I'm gonna do more than just tilt his paintings.

I reluctantly answered the phone, plastering on my casual act for him. "Sup bro, whatcha' need?"

Kid's voice was far from laid-back. He sounded on edge. "Are the girls and Black*Star there?"

"No, why?"

"Well I just wanted to see if they were. They all went to go around town to enjoy themselves a little." He sounded distracted on the other side of the line.

"Why didn't you go with Kid?" I questioned, listening to Blair knock some things over in the bathroom. Clumsy cat.

"I had some... research to do... Is everything okay over there? Do you need me to bring anything over there for you guys? I mean, it's not like you can go anywhere, and you can't trust Blair at the store with your money."

I chuckled for a moment before replying. "Naw, that's okay Kid. Thanks for asking though. And yeah, everything's fine besides the cat in question knocking over what sounds like all our bottles of hair crap."

He stayed silent. What was up with him? Most times, he would at least acknowledge the fact that I spoke with a simple "Mmhm...", but now, nothing came from the twin-pistol meister.

"What's eating at you, Kid?"

Kid was quiet before simply asking, "May I visit you for a short while? I would like to discuss a few ideas with you."

I leaned back in my seat and put my hand on my head, toying with my white hair. "Yeah, sure. Come on over." I acted like it was whatever, but I really only thought of one thing; _what_ ideas _did he need to discuss with me?"_

He thanked me, and hung up after stating that he would arrive in less than an hour. I felt my eyelids drooping down. I needed to sleep, but I figured Kid wouldn't take that long, so it wouldn't be that horrid to stay awake. Then, I felt a little more awake when Blair wheeled Maka into the room, who's hair bled water into her shirt. Wait. Was that my Pianoman shirt?!

_Whatever, it looks cute on her._ I smirked, while my thoughts that resembled those of a boy in love plagued my mind. Maka sat quietly in her seat, looking completely lost in thought.

"Hey Maka, how ya' feelin?"

She suddenly snapped back into reality, looking in my direction distantly. "I-I'm fine. Thanks for asking."

"Kid is coming over for a bit," I mentioned. "do you want to stay up to talk to him?"

Maka shook her head. "I'm way too tired. If he needs me, he can wake me up though, alright?"

I gave my famous shark-tooth grin. "Got it. Night Maka. Sleep tight..."

She giggled as Blair wheeled her to her room. "Thanks Soul. Goodnight."

After kicking back on the couch, breaking open a bag of potato chips, and flipping on the TV, I sat there for awhile and just zoned out. My favorite show was on, and for the moment, I just wanted to relax.

A sudden thump on the door made me jump. I groaned before heaving myself off the couch, and stumbling to the door. Swinging it open, I found Kid with his hand raised, ready to tap at the oak barrier once more. A book was tucked in the crook of his arm, and it seemed like the kind that would carve a gorge the width of a river in my skull at least once a day.

"Good evening Soul, may I come in?" Kid asked, his polite demeanor front and center. His gold eyes looked to me for acceptance as he lowered his arm, and I nodded. It seemed odd to me that only a few days ago, I wanted to make one of those gold eyes bruise to purple. I was glad that the feeling subsided. I couldn't stay mad at the Shinigami for too long; he was one of my best friends, after all, and he was just trying to help Maka. But seriously, he had the tendency to piss me off every once in a while with his smart mouth.

When he stepped past me, I noticed he had a small gift bag in hand, which was decorated with Shinigami skulls, and a handle made of some fancy black ribbon.

"What's that Kid?" I questioned, slightly confused and slightly amused at the same time. "I told you that you didn't need to bring us anything."

He grinned, placing it on the kitchen table. "It's for Maka, from the girls and I. It's supposed to be a "Get Well Soon!" gift."

"What is it?"

"A fifty-dollar gift card to the bookstore and a teddy bear, chosen by Liz and Patty." He explained nonchalantly.

My eyes grew larger than dinner plates. "Fifty freaking dollars? For BOOKS? You smart people are insane, I swear!" I joked, making a laugh rise from Kid.

"But in all seriousness, thank you. She's asleep right now, so I'll give it to her when she wakes up."

"It was our pleasure." He stated, shoving his hands in his pockets after smoothing his hair back. "Is there anywhere were we can talk privately? I would rather not have someone able to listen to us."

I shrugged. "The closest we'll get to privacy in this apartment is my room, if that'll cut it."

Kid had a sour expression, as though he had just stuck a stinging lemon in his mouth. "That's honestly the most private?"

"Take it or leave it, Kid."

Not even a minute later, we were in my lightly-messy room. I automatically flopped onto the bed, but Kid took another route. He began picking up little things here and there to calm his OCD, closing the drapes, and locking the door. He hurriedly sat in my desk chair, swiveling it around to face me. Jeez, how much more scary could a Shinigami look in the almost complete darkness? You could see the sudden flash of concern in his eyes, which he closed for a moment while giving what sounded like an exhausted sigh.

"So what's this all about Kid?" I asked, sitting up and leaning against the wall on the side of my bed.

Kid paused for a moment, as if asking himself, "What was I going to say again?". He then cleared his throat, and spoke while opening his book up. "Soul, after Maka's incident, I have been researching the weaknesses of a person's soul. I want to read this paragraph aloud for you, and I'll explain my theory."

Sunny-gold eyes scanned the worn letters of what looked like ancient text.

_"Souls are the life essence of a living thing, but when we talk about souls,we generally refer to humans as being the primary ones with them. However, there are two known kinds of souls that are known to date. There is the regular soul, which is  
the most common; then there is a Grigori soul, which only one in every fifty-million people are born with. As it is known throughout the Weapon-and-Meister schools across the globe, a human soul is just as powerful as a kishin soul; just easier to claim for the weapon. If someone were to slaughter a human who possess the Grigori soul, they could use it's powers for almost anything. The most unusual case heard of so far was the use of one of these precious souls for a magic elixir that would give you permanent wings (in which it failed due to the soul not being strong enough). People with a Grigori soul need to be (extremely) careful about telling people about the rare soul they possess, otherwise they could be in very grave danger. Also, people with a Grigori are more susceptible to soul-wavelength attacks, so they need to be careful while going against the kind of opponents that use them."_

It caught me off guard when Kid stopped speaking. I was listening very intently to the topic, and pieces of the puzzle were starting to glue themselves together in my head.

"Hey wait..." I mumbled, thinking back on my findings from about a week before. "From what it sounds like, I don't think Maka was originally burned; she was shocked."

Kid looked at me in utter confusion, so I had to tell him every detail about the night of the event, and my recent discoveries. I told him about the man, and how he was digitalized, and how when I investigated the scene, I found a small orange wire.

Kid analyzed my words carefully, his hand holding his chin while he thought hard. What was going through that brain of his?

We didn't get very far in the process before his phone rang, and honestly scared both of us out of our pants. The jingle went on for a moment while he looked at the caller ID and flipped it open.

"Hello?"

A rushed and panicked voice struck the phone's speakers and made Kid flinch. I couldn't make out the owner of the voice, but I could tell it was a girl.

"Just calm down, Liz! Everything will be okay! I just want you to stay where you are, and I'll be there shortly-"

A sudden scream made all the questions I had turn to sand, which slipped out of my head as though I never pondered them to begin with. It made my skin burn and my heart race.

"**Maka!**"


	7. Chapter 7

I almost threw my door off of it's hinges as I made a beeline to Maka's room down the hall. I crashed through her door, and my eyes widened when I took in the scene. It was him. That _thing_ from the other night. He was looming over my meister, his claw-like fingers ripping through her chest like she was made of wet paper. Her blind eyes were glued to the ceiling, with sparkling tears rushing down her face and pooling by her slender neck.

My words were stuck, but I managed to snap out of it and turn my arm into a scythe.

"Back away from her you damn freak!"

They looked at me with glowing red eyes, and a sudden reflection of blue dancing in them made me stagger. Her soul. _My_ meister's soul. It was dripping blood, but he didn't seem to care. Maka's head lolled off of her pillow, and her eyes quickly caught mine. They had no expression, but I knew she was in pain.

My jaw felt like it was going to shatter while I clenched my teeth. I was _pissed_. No. Beyond that. This was some brand new form of rage.

"YOU BASTARD!"

I swung my arm at the foul being that held my meister's soul in their needle-like fingers, and right when my blade as about to make contact in their neck, they disappeared. I tumbled to the floor in a heap, thwacking my head harshly against the wall. Blood trickled down my face from the base of my forehead. I didn't care about the possibility that I cracked my skull open; all I could think about was Maka.

I fell over myself a few times getting up to Maka's bed, blinking through the liquid that rushed down into my eyes. I felt my heart tearing in two as I sat on my knees next to her unmoving body, slowly raising her upper-half up to cradle her.

She began to sputter blood from her mouth, and it dripped along her lips while she looked up in my direction. I felt my heart sink while I looked into her emerald eyes, then she suddenly raised her arm up, placing her hand on my face. I was speechless, and she just curled her soft-looking lips into a smile. "Look at that, I can use my arms again..." Maka stated weakly, rubbing her thumb on the apple of my cheek with finesse. I pressed my palm against the back of her dainty hand, and intertwined our fingers together tightly. She let out a faint look of amusement before her eyes fluttered shut and her head hung limp. Frantically, I pressed my ear against her chest, and listened desperately for her comforting heartbeat, which never broke through. I could only hear it stopping, like a soft drum that was being beat ever so slightly. Tears welled up in my eyes, and I looked up to her, trying to find a sign of life in her face, but deep down, I knew Maka's life had slipped through my fingers like melted ice.

"Maka..." I whimpered, pressing my face into her bosom, letting the ends of my snowy-white hair become dyed with her crimson blood. "You can't be gone... I won't believe it... please wake up..."

For the first time in years, I cried. Her already blood-stained Pianoman shirt was becoming drenched in the front with my salty tears. She was my partner, and I failed to protect her. I failed a weapon's most important duty, and I couldn't ever forgive myself for it. It cost Maka her life. This was the biggest mistake I ever made.

_I let her down._

...

I stood in the middle of Soul's hallway, leaning up against the wall in disbelief. Liz, who was just on the phone with me, was telling me about a man who attacked the gang on their night out and was taking their souls. She was crying harshly into the speaker, saying that she was scared, and couldn't hear Patty's heartbeat. Then I listened to her choke up, and her phone clattering to the ground.

"Liz... Patty... No, God damn it! NO!" I growled, ready to punch the wall with wrecking ball force._My weapons... My friends... Why them?_

My ears suddenly picked up the whimpering of a snowy-haired weapon, and I rushed to Maka's room. I let was I was seeing soak in, and it shook me to the core, though I kept my composure as much as possible. Soul sat upon Maka's messy bed, with his face buried into her chest. The blankets were unruly, and surrounded the pair like a barrier. He was holding her close, and his shoulders convulsed while he grieved for his meister.

It was all so sudden. It all happened in what seemed like less than a nanosecond, but in reality it was about 10 minutes at the most. I put weight on the wall, and before I could speak, Soul growled, "Call an ambulance; call the freaking police and fire department too. I don't give a shit. Just help her..."

I nodded shakily, "For the others, too."

He snapped his head up. "What?"

"The gang got caught too, Soul."

Rage was boiling inside him, and I didn't want to mess with it any longer. I flipped open my phone, and dialed Stein for help, telling him about everything. He understood, told us to stay calm, and then he came to help, along with Spirit, Marie, Asuza, and Sid.

...

"This... is what's keeping them alive?"

"Yes, it won't last forever though. We need to find their real souls."

I watched Maka's monitor screen come back to life when we put the artificial soul inside her chest cavity. On all of our friends, there was a small opening left in their chests so we could pull the fake souls out or put their real ones in. I had just found out about these fake souls. They were designed to keep the body alive for about four days. It would supposedly keep them breathing, but would do nothing else.

Every one of them looked so lifeless. It was odd. Black*Star couldn't do his usual screaming about being god, Tsubaki wasn't trying to shut him up, Patty wasn't being silly, and Liz wasn't painting her nails or doing her hair. Their usual selves were gone, and now they were lying stationary in their beds. I cringed and bit my lip, guilt washing over me slowly and painfully. I felt blood welling up on my lower lip, filling my mouth with a metallic taste. I cursed at myself under my breath and looked around the dispensary room for a tissue. Kid, who stood beside me, noticed my idiocy and produced a white square folded into a perfect triangle. I took it gratefully, and pressed it to the inside of my lip, soaking up the blood that grazed my teeth.

"How did this happen..." I questioned aloud, sinking my razor-teeth into the white cloth. The gun-meister shook his head and walked in-between Liz and Patty's beds, sitting in a chair that was placed perfectly amid the occupied mattresses. His gaze scrutinized the sisters, carefully examining them for more injuries. I could hear the worry and sorrow in his firm voice when he spoke. "I wish I could take their place."

It was like an earthquake began to rumble throughout my body, and I realized I was trembling by watching my hands. I couldn't tell what it was from; the fact my meister could die, or the thought of losing every last one of my friends. Maybe there was also a pinch of insanity that was to blame. His words were shaking me. I couldn't imagine how happy I'd be if I could switch places with my sandy-haired technician.

Kid noticed right away how odd I was being. "Soul, what's wrong?"

_Did he really just ask me that? I thought he was smarter!_

"Nothing, Kid. I've just got my meister and a few friends in the infirmary with the high possibility of dying, but other than that, I'm fine." I spat sarcastically.

Kid gave me an ice cold glare that would've made the iceberg that Titanic hit shiver. "You don't have to be so stubborn Soul. Being an ignorant idiot won't help the situation at hand."

I let out a low growl and stood up swiftly, making the chair I was sitting in squeal and shudder against the tiled-floor. I felt the adrenaline slowly building up inside my body, tingling in my fingers and toes. "Say that to me again you prissy little reaper-boy! I'll punch you so hard those three white lines will pop straight off your head and slap you in the face!"

"If you choose to, please have them slap me on both sides of the face. I would hate to have an asymmetrical blow to the head." The Shinigami said calmly, with a hint of mockery in his voice.

He just crossed the line.

In a flash, I was in front of him, a hand grasping the nightstand behind his head and the other arm curved into a blade in front of his face. His gold eyes scanned the blade calmly before he looked at me directly. "Do you really wanna die like this Kid? I would've thought it would've been more of a... _heroic_ death."

Before he could reply, the door swung open, and Stein strolled in, clipboard in hand. He walked a few feet into the room before noticing us, and he shook his head. "No fighting in the infirmary, boys. Take it outside if you must. But I have to say that if you do, your partners would be ashamed of you."

I sighed. "I guess he's right. Sorry Kid."

My arm went from a fine metal blade to soft flesh once again, and I backed off from him, making my way to stand by the mad scientist. He was doing checks on everyone's monitors, writing things like their BMP (Beats Per Minute) on his little chart. As if reading my thoughts, he stated aloud, "They seem to be doing fine." before pushing up his glasses and tucking the clipboard under his arm.

"That's good to hear. But how the hell are we going to help them fully recover? Those bogus souls won't last forever." I pestered.

"About that, I actually need you and Kid to come to the Death Room-"

Abruptly, the door burst down with smoke in it's wake, and a certain Death-Scythe rushed in, and as if on autopilot mode, went straight for Maka.

"MAKA! MY PRECIOUS BABY GIRL! PAPA'S HERE!"

A unanimous sigh came from Stein, Kid, and I.

_"Spirit..."_

The red-haired excuse for a father was sobbing uncontrollably while holding Maka's lifeless hand in both of his. I was amused at the thought of what she would do if she was awake. Maka Chop? Bingo.

After watching Spirit weep a fountain for a few minutes, Stein came up behind him, setting a hand on the death-scythe's shoulder. Spirit spun around, latching onto Stein's arm like a leech. "What's gonna happen to my Maka?! Tell me Stein!"

The frustrated doctor shook Spirit off, only to reach his arm into one of his coat pockets. He produced a cigarette and a match, popping the tobacco in his mouth and striking the match on the clipboard to light it.

"It has not been decided exactly what will happen. But you'll learn more in a moment. If you wouldn't have interrupted me, I was telling the children to go to the Death Room. Shinigami-sama could be of help in finding out how to get their souls back before they... pass." The professor said, puffing his cigarette and pushing up his silver spectacles.

We all stood silent, and Stein looked at all of us before chuckling. "Come on then. Time is wasting away! Time we could use to save our friends!"


	8. Chapter 8

The group made their way to the Death Room, with Stein leading the way. His coat draped out behind him, and threatened to hit my knees while I walked with more meaning than ever before in my step. We went through the halls and the gates to the Death Room silently. Even Spirit kept his mouth shut, which was something as rare as a blue moon.

_I guess when it comes to Maka, he'll do anything..."_

The soles of our shoes clicked vigorously against the floor, and with each footfall, the greater the pounding in my head. I had never been in such a serious-feeling situation before, and I hoped to Death I wouldn't have to again. I could feel the stress and tension radiating from the other three just by standing next to them. I looked at all of their faces, and I seemed to be the only who had lost their train of thought. They all focused intently on their thoughts, drowning themselves in their ideas until we reached our destination. Shinigami-sama was sitting at a table that was set up in front of his mirror, looking at our group walking up to him.

There was a tea set on the table, and it smelled like shincha tea. The aroma filled the room, and the reaper sipped at his cup before piping up. "Hiya Hiya! Come! Come! Sit and have some tea everyone! It's fresh from Japan! I was very lucky to get some before it was all sold out for the year! Shincha tea is only available for a certain period of time, you know. It's a tea that's picked very early. It's the first picked, so it's hard to come by."

"Umm..father. We came to hear what you needed us for, not a long lecture about Shincha tea." Kid muttered embarrassedly.

"Oh yes. Sorry Kiddo." He apologized, getting down his cup while we all sat down at the small skull-shaped table. Shinigami-sama looked to Stein, who was lighting up another cigarette.

"Have they been told the situation yet, or do I need to explain?"

"I thought you made me bring them here so you could tell them."

"Tell us what? What's going on father?" Kid questioned anxiously, tapping at the wooden table in an OCD-like manner.

Lord Death took a deep breath, and explained everything.

"Soul has described a man to Stein many times now, and also explained his theory with the wire and such. He was absolutely correct about the bit where Maka was shocked, but the questions he had yet to answer were; "Who is this person?" and "Where did they come from?". We have the answer to all these questions, because we've delt with this man before. His name is Darrell Vandlir, and we believe that he took your friends' souls for the same reason he attempted to do this sort of thing before."

"Wait, we know who this guy is? But he's not even a guy-"

"Shut up octopus head!" Spirit said, cutting me off.

Shinigami-sama coughed. "As I was saying, we've delt with this before, so we know what and where he is. He is a Digital Demon, like a virus. Except that he can bring himself into the real world through an electronic device; along with being able to make his body appear as anything he can imagine. Which is probably why he didn't look like a person."

"But this thing has done the same thing before?" Kid questioned. "When was this father?"

"About 3 or 4 years before you were born Kiddo. We caught him before he got a chance to take a soul and do what he wanted with it. We turned him back over to the dark recesses of the Deep-Web; right where he belonged. But it seems he's come back, and stronger than ever."

"How are we supposed to save our friends from this freak?" I pondered, looking between Stein and Shinigami-sama. Stein puffed out some of his cigarette, and pulled a picture out of his pocket, sliding it on the table between Kid and me. We both almost smashed our heads together to get a good look. It was a picture of a large machine, with two clean, white containment capsules, which connected to the contraption by wires. Kid and I looked up at Stein, and he immediately began to explain.

"That device you see in the picture can do something that will blow your mind. It can turn you into a virtual being inside a computer, and from there you can explore the far reaches of the internet for your partners. It takes a scan of your body, and BAM! You're in the computer, with no harm done to your real body."

"Can I still use my weapon-form if I'm digitalized?" I asked.

"Yes, they will be just as effective, if not more. We warn you though; no teacher or student has used this machine before. We only used it to send that monster back to where he came from. You'll need to be very careful, understand?"

We both shook our heads, and Stein stood up, motioning to us to follow him out of the room, and as we walked out, Shinigami-sama shouted to us, "Good luck Kiddo! Good luck Soul!"

"YEAH AND YOU BETTER BRING BACK MY BABY MAKA YOU LITTLE FREAK! I SWEAR I'LL-"

"REAPER-CHOP!"

The Chop was followed by a thud, and we didn't look back to assess the damage.


End file.
